Arizona’s first three NEVI-funded DC fast-charging stations are finally online, giving EV drivers more places to plug in along I-10, I-19, and I-8.
Getting here took years of planning and procurement, with a Trump administration funding freeze disrupting the state’s broader rollout along the way.
The new Arizona NEVI fast chargers are in Tucson, Green Valley, and Wellton:
They’re the first operating sites in Arizona’s plan to use some of the $76.5 million in federal funding to build as many as 79 stations statewide.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program was created by the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. But Arizona didn’t begin taking bids for its first round of DC fast-charging stations until January 2024, after developing its deployment plan and working through federal requirements. The first awards followed in August 2024.
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) initially said construction would take about a year after final contracts were signed, with some locations expected to open by late 2025. Construction ultimately began in early 2026.
Then came the sabotage. In February 2025, the Trump administration suspended states’ approved NEVI plans and blocked new funding commitments while it rewrote the program’s guidance. Reimbursements under existing project agreements were allowed to continue.
That had a direct consequence in Arizona: Court records show the state canceled a solicitation for 35 prospective charging locations after losing access to roughly $48.1 million in funding that hadn’t yet been committed to projects.
Arizona joined the states challenging the freeze. A federal judge granted preliminary relief in June 2025 and ruled in January 2026 that the funding had been unlawfully withheld.
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